Hi All, Comet has received numerous complaints about commuter vans from folks in Maspeth, Elmhurst and Woodside/Winfield. Council Member Elizabeth Crowley has introduced a bill, Intro 635-A, that takes a step to allow more transparency with regard to commuter van companies and their routes. At the present time, it is difficult - if not impossible - to find out what commuter vans are operating in a given community, community board or council district. It would also allow for input from the community boards and council members. This is your opportunity to voice your support and bring up concerns that you have with regard to these vans! Instructions follow and Intro 635-A is attached. There will be a hearing on October 31, 2013 on Council Member Crowley’s commuter van legislation. You or any interested party can e-mail a statement to Lyle Frank, counsel to the Transportation Committee, by the hearing date, to comment on the legislation. Mr. Frank’s e-mail address is LFrank@council.nyc.gov. Please also cc JMailman@council.nyc.gov. If you would like to attend this hearing in person, the New York City Council Committee on Transportation will hold a hearing on Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. in the 14th Floor Committee Room, 250 Broadway, New York, NY regarding this bill. Roe Daraio, PresidentComet Civic Associationwww.cometcivic.comProposed Int. No. 635-A

To amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring community board notification following the establishment of a commuter van route and online publication of such routes.

..Body

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Paragraph (2) of subdivision f of section 19-504.2 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to read as follows:

(2) Any determination by the commission to approve an application for authorization to operate a commuter van service pursuant to this section shall be in writing and shall be submitted to the council and the affected community boards within five days of such determination being made. [Within twenty days of such submission the council may adopt a resolution by majority vote of all council members to review that determination.]

§2. Subdivision k of section 19-504.2 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new sub paragraph iii to read as follows:

(iii) The department of city planning shall submit to the mayor, the council and all community boards copies of the final report reflecting the results of any future commuter van service policy studies conducted under the auspices of the department of city planning or any other city agency, or any similar study, within five business days of completion of any such study.

§3. Section 19-504.2 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new subdivision l to read as follows:

l. Upon issuing an authorization to operate a commuter van service, the commission shall post on its website the geographic area which will be served by the applicant, the maximum number of commuter vans to be operated by the applicant, and shall provide links to all New York city laws and rules governing the capacity of commuter vans.

§4. This local law shall take effect ninety days after its enactment into law.

JW/LFLS# 2044 11/9/11

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